Solar powered boat

ABSTRACT

A solar powered aquatic vessel includes a hull having an overall length equal to a length of a waterline and a maximum hull draft at station that is located at a position that is approximately 30% of the overall length of the hull. A bottom of the hull has an approximately linear slope from a maximum beam to a transom forming a stern of the hull. A canopy is connected to the hull of the solar powered aquatic vessel and supports at least one photovoltaic panel connected to a photovoltaic system positioned in the hull. The photovoltaic system generates electrical power from a sun that is equal to or greater than an electrical power necessary to propel the solar powered vehicle, and a motor operatively connected to the photovoltaic system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a 371 National Phase of PCT InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2015/059967 filed Nov. 10, 2015, published as WO2016/077357 A1 on May 19, 2016, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/077,353 filed Nov. 10, 2014, the entiredisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The following relates generally to high efficiency solar poweredvehicles and, more specifically, relates to embodiments of solar poweredboats, yachts or other aquatic vessels.

BACKGROUND

Individuals are aware of and constantly reminded of the steady decreasein the world wide supply of non-renewable resources such as oil, coaland natural gas. In many countries, including the United States, new andexciting research is being performed to identify ways to increasevehicle fuel efficiency. In recent years, electric, hybrid and hydrogenpowered vehicles have become more common place to help achieve and meetthe United States' energy goals in achieving energy independence.Alternate sources of energy have been investigated and implemented withvarying ranges of success, as a means for reducing pollutant levels inlarge cities, across the country, including wind, solar, geothermal, andhydroelectric power.

Vehicles such as cars, trucks, boats and recreational vehicles,contribute to a major portion of non-reusable energy consumption. At thepresent time, this excessive fuel consumption contributes to thepollution emitted from the use of oil derived fuels, such as gasolineand diesel fuel which powers today's vehicles. Electrically poweredvehicles can be beneficial because they do not produce the fumes,exhaust and pollution that a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle wouldproduce. However, electric powered vehicles typically have limitationson travel distance. In electric powered vehicles, a series of storagebatteries are mounted within the vehicle in an effort to provide theelectricity needed to energize an electric motor connected to the drivetrain of the vehicle. A large number of storage batteries are typicallyemployed to provide sufficient electricity to propel the vehicle over awide range before requiring recharging. Despite rigorous efforts tocreate a suitable electrically powered vehicle, many of the resultingvehicles have a very limited length of use or distance that can betraveled, before having to find a charging station or the user has toreturn back to their home to resupply the vehicle with power. Such acharging period can be extensive and prevent the vehicle from being usedfor an extended length of time, typically several hours to fully chargethe vehicle.

To overcome the problems with limited electrical supplies in vehiclesand the necessity for connecting the batteries in an electric poweredvehicle to a source of electricity for recharging, solar panels havebeen mounted on vehicles to partially recharge the batteries during theoperation of the vehicle so as to increase the operating range of thevehicle and to decrease battery recharging time. These attempts havebeen met with limited success since previously devised solar panelsprovide only minimal recharging capacity due to the small amount ofexternal space available on vehicles for mounting the panels and thevehicles draining the onboard batteries faster than the energy can besupplied.

Thus, it would also be desirable to provide an electric powered vehiclein which solar radiation is utilized to generate the electricity neededto power the vehicle, wherein the amount of solar radiation beingabsorbed and converted to electrical energy is equal to or exceeds therate of electrical energy consumption by the vehicle. It would thus bedesirable to provide an electric powered vehicle in which a solarcollector having a large surface area may be mounted on the vehicle toextend the driving range of the vehicle and decrease or eliminate thebattery recharging time.

SUMMARY

A first embodiment of this disclosure relates generally to a solarpowered aquatic vessel comprising a hull having an overall length equalto a length of a waterline, a maximum hull draft at approximately 30% ofthe overall length of the hull, a bottom of the hull, the bottom havingan approximately linear slope from a maximum beam to a transom forming astern of the hull, a canopy connected to the hull of the aquaticvehicle, supporting at least one photovoltaic panel connected to aphotovoltaic system positioned in the hull, the photovoltaic systemgenerating electrical power from a sun that is equal to or greater thanthe electrical power necessary to propel the solar powered vehicle and amotor operatively connected to the photovoltaic system and connected toa propeller to cause movement of the hull.

A second embodiment of this disclosure relates generally to a method forpowering an aquatic vehicle comprising the steps of providing a hullhaving an overall length equal to a length of a waterline, a maximumhull draft at station located at a position that is approximately 30% ofthe overall length of the hull and a bottom of the hull, the bottomhaving an approximately linear slope from a maximum beam to a transomforming a stern of the hull, connecting a canopy to the hull, providinga photovoltaic system having at least one solar cell, attaching a motoroperatively connected to the photovoltaic system to the hull,positioning the solar cell on a top surface of the canopy and generatingelectrical power from a sun that is equal to or greater than theelectrical power necessary for the motor to propel the solar aquaticvehicle. The vessel is operated at about a half a hull speed to promoteefficient operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the embodiments will be described in detail, with reference tothe following figures, wherein like designations denote like members,wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an isometric view of an embodiment of a solar poweredaquatic vessel;

FIG. 2 depicts a top perspective view of an embodiment of a hull for asolar powered aquatic vessel;

FIG. 3 depicts an isometric bottom view of an embodiment of a hull for asolar powered aquatic vessel;

FIG. 4a depicts a schematic view of an embodiment of a photovoltaicsystem;

FIG. 4b depicts a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of aphotovoltaic system;

FIG. 5 depicts a schematic view of another alternative embodiment of aphotovoltaic system;

FIG. 6 graphically depicts the relationship between the output power ofthe motor and the speed of the embodiments of the solar powered aquaticvessel, in both miles per hour (MPH) and in Knots;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vessel in accordance with the presentinvention which includes a cargo area and photovoltaic panels at twoelevations;

FIG. 8 depicts a bottom perspective view of the vessel of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 depicts another perspective view of a portion of a bottom of thevessel of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 depicts a bottom perspective view of the vessel of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 depicts a bottom perspective view of a portion of the bottom ofthe vessel of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 12 is a side graphical symbolic view of a vessel showing featuresof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of the hereinafter described embodiments of thedisclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way ofexemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.Although certain embodiments are shown and described in detail, itshould be understood that various changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope ofthe present disclosure will in no way be limited to the number ofconstituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, therelative arrangement thereof, etc., and are disclosed simply as anexample of embodiments of the present disclosure.

As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, asused in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a”, “an” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

Certain embodiments are described in detail below. Terms used herein maybe defined as follows:

“Aft” may refer to an adjective or adverb meaning towards the rear ofthe vessel, particularly when the frame of reference is within thevessel.

“Beam” may refer to the maximum width of the vessel at any locationalong its length.

“Bow” may refer to the forward portion of the hull of the vessel.

“Chine” may refer to a hard division between two surfaces located belowthe “sheer line”, which may refer to the defined curve that forms ajunction between the deck and the hull.

“Depth” may refer to an approximate distance between a bottom of thehull to the highest point of the sheer line.

“Draft” may refer to a vessel's hull and the vertical distance betweenthe waterline and the bottom of the hull (sometimes called the “keel”).

“Fairing” may refer to a process of manipulating the hull shape tocreate a smooth surface for construction. Fairing may be an externalstructure used to increase streamlining and reduce drag.

“Hull” may refer to the main portion of a vessel, and may include thedeck, the sides and the bottom of the vessel.

“Hull speed” “or “displacement speed” may refer to the speed at which afree surface wave is equal to the wavelength of the boat's waterlinelength. Hull speed in knots may be defined as 1.3 times the square rootof the water line length in feet or 2.43 time the waterline length inmeters.

“Photovoltaic” may refer to utilizing or relating to the generation of avoltage from light or electromagnetic radiation into direct current.

“Station” may refer to specific cross-sectional points of the vesseldesign which may serve as points of reference and measurement during theconstruction of the vessel.

“Transom” may refer to a surface of a vessel that forms the stern of thevessel. A transom may have a variety of different shapes, includingflat, curved, raked forward, raked aft.

“Water line” may refer to the point on the hull that corresponds to thewater's surface when the vessel is afloat on an even keel.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts an embodiment of a solarpowered aquatic vessel 100, such as a boat or ship. In an exemplaryembodiment, the solar powered aquatic vessel may be a launch boat.Alternative embodiments of boats that may be suitable for use as anaquatic vessel 100 may include a bass boat, bay boat, bowrider, centerconsole boat, convertible fishing boat, cruiser, cuddy cabin, deck boat,dingy, downeast cruiser, dual console, express fisherman, fish 'n skiboat, flats boat, high performance boat, inflatable boat, jet boat, Jonboat, multi species boat, pilothouse boat, pontoon, powered catamaran,rigid inflatable, runabout, sedan bridge boat, ski and wakeboard boat,skiff, utility boat, walkaround boat, trawler, or any other knownboating type.

Embodiments of a solar powered aquatic boat or vessel 100 may include ahull 102, which may be a displacement hull, for example. The hull 102may form the main portion of a ship or boat. In some embodiments, thehull may be constructed or used to house and/or attach each of thecomponents of the solar powered vessel 100, including a motor 107, acanopy 103, a canopy supports 105, and a photovoltaic system 400 a, 400b, 500, including one or more photovoltaic panels 101. Embodiments ofhull 102 may be constructed out of numerous types of materials andcombinations of materials. Materials suitable for fabricating the hullof boat 100 may include wood, glass reinforced plastic (GRP) such asfiberglass, steel, marine grade plywood, or aluminum constructions maybe used as the main building material for constructing the hull.

In some embodiments, hull 102 may be constructed out of a combination ofmaterials. For example, embodiments of the hull may be constructed froma combination of wood and epoxy. In an alternative embodiment, awood-core may be sandwiched between two layers of fiberglass saturatedwith an epoxy. In the exemplary embodiment, boat 100 may be constructedout of a combination of wood planking and a fiberglass coating epoxiedto the exterior surface of the wood layer of boat 100. In yet anotheralternative embodiment, hull 102 may be constructed out of a wood corehaving fiberglass constructing the interior of hull 102 and having anouter surface of the hull being constructed from fiberglass and asynthetic composite fiber made from reinforced plastic. The reinforcedplastic may be an acrylic resin constructed out of a copolymer ofacrylonitrile and vinyl chloride (trade name Dynel™).

In some embodiments, hull 102 of boat 100 may be constructed using aladder frame or a hard back form as a template for building the solarpowered boat 100. When constructing an embodiment of hull 102 using aladder frame technique, each cross section of the hull's frame, uponwhich the strips of wood, fiberglass or other construction materials maybe laid, may be referred to as a “station.” Each station of the hull'sframe may be assigned a reference number based on the number of crosssections away from the bow of vessel 100 that the referenced crosssection may reside.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 2 displays a top perspective viewdepicting the interior of the hull while under construction. In theembodiment depicted in the drawings, eight of stations 201, 202, 203,204, 205, 206, 207 and 208 are visible. The number of stations 201, 202,203, 204, 205, 206, 207 and 208 may vary depending on the length of thevessel being constructed and the distance between each of the crosssections in the ladder frame template. In some embodiments, the vesselmay include between 2-20 stations, while in other embodiments there maybe less than 20 stations, less than 15 stations, less than 10 stationsor less than 5 stations. In an exemplary embodiment, the hull may beconstructed out of 10 stations, including stations 201, 202, 203, 204,205, 206, 207 and 208, plus one additional station not pictured, and thetransom 305 of the vessel 100, forming the vessel's stern.

The length of the beams from sheer to sheer of each station may varyfrom embodiment to embodiment. Embodiments having a longer total hulllength L may include stations having longer beams forming the crosssections at each station, whereas a vessel having a smaller hull lengthL, may have shorter beams forming the cross sections of the hull 102 ateach of the stations. In the exemplary embodiment, the maximum beamlength may be positioned at approximately fifth station 205. The beamlength at each of the stations forming the cross sections of the hullmay be between approximately 1-15 ft, 3-12 ft, or 5-10 ft in length. Forexample, in an embodiment having a maximum hull length L ofapproximately 25 ft, the maximum beam length may be approximately 7 ft.The remaining beams constructing the hull of this embodiment may be lessthan or equal to 7 ft in length. In an alternative embodiment, whereinthe length of the hull L is approximately 40 ft in length, the maximumbeam length may be approximately 11 ft. The remaining lengths of thebeams positioned at each station may be less than 11 ft in length.

The efficiency of the hull's 102 construction may reduce the electricalenergy requirements needed to propel the solar powered boat 100. Toavoid running out of electrical energy needed to power the boat, thehull 102 may be constructed in such an efficient manner that theelectrical energy supplied to the boat 100 is equal to or greater thanthe energy needed to propel the boat 100. In some embodiments, the hull102 may be constructed such that the overall length of the hull, L isequal to the length of the waterline. For example, in one exemplaryembodiment, the length of the hull and the waterline may beapproximately 25 ft long. In an alternative exemplary embodiment, thelength of the hull may match the length of the waterline having a lengthof approximately 40 feet. FIGS. 1-3 depict an example of a waterline 300as described herein with FIGS. 2-3 showing such waterline in phantom.

Another property of the hull 102 that may increase the overallefficiency of the vessel, thus reducing the electrical energyrequirements to propel the vessel, may be the shape of the bow and thechine 301 of the hull 102. The bow may be designed to reduce theresistance of the hull 102 when the vessel 100 is in motion, cuttingthrough the water. A faster moving vessel that cuts through the watermore quickly may be equipped with a narrow, more tapered bow, whereas aslower moving vessel may be equipped with a fuller or broader shaped bowthat maximizes the volume of the ship, based on the ship's length. In anexemplary embodiment, the vessel 100 may be equipped with a V-shapedbow, designed for cutting through the water more efficiently.Alternative embodiments of the solar powered vessel 100 may be equippedwith a straight bow, conventional clipper bow, reverse sheer bow,low-cain spoon bow or a high-cain spoon bow.

The angle of the vessel's hull 102 may also contribute to the overallefficiency of the vessel 100 to navigate through open water and affectthe amount of energy required to propel the vessel. The angle of thevessel's hull may be referred to as a vessel's chine, e.g., chine 301depicted in FIG. 3. A chine may be more angular, which may be referredto as a hard chine or the shape may be more rounded, which may bereferred to as a soft chine. An example of a hard shine may includeS-bottom hulls or a V-shape having two flat panels joined at the keel.Exemplary embodiments of the vessel depicted in FIGS. 1-3 employ the useof a soft chine hull having a more rounded shaped. Soft chine 301 mayhave a shallow v-shape at the bottom of the nearly vertical, slowlytapering inward side panels of the vessel.

Embodiments of the hull 102 may further include additional constructionfeatures that may improve the vessel's overall efficiency and reductionof energy requirements in order to place the vessel in motion. In someembodiments, the shape of the hull 102 may be constructed in a mannerthat provides a maximum hull draft 310 at approximately third station203 of the vessel. In the exemplary embodiment, the third station 203may be located at a position that is 30% of the distance of the hull'slength L, measured from the bow of the vessel. In other embodiments ofthe hull 102, a bottom 313 of the hull may be constructed in such amanner that the aft of the hull 102, at or around the fifth station 205(e.g., at a maximum beam length 312) a flattened portion 220 may have aflat or a more flattened shape than the shape of the hull at thestations preceding the fifth station 205 (i.e., the portion of the hullcloser to the bow than the stern). In some embodiments, the aft of thehull's bottom portion, at or around the fifth station 205 (e.g., at amaximum beam length), flattened portion 220 may be linear in slopebetween fifth station 105 and transom 305. In other embodiments, thebottom portion of the transom may be positioned at or near the waterline. Each of these hull 102 configurations alone or in combination witheach other may allow the vessel 100 to navigate the water moreefficiently and with less resistance imposed by the water. Accordingly,as the resistance of the water decreases, less energy is required topropel the vessel through the water, thus decreasing the electricityproduction requirements necessary to be produced by the photovoltaicsystem 400 a, 400 b, 500.

As depicted in FIGS. 8-9, hull 102 may have a hull length of 40 feet tomatch a length of a waterline. A keel 500 may extend 15 feet from afront end 450 of hull 102 with FIG. 8 showing a first 10 feet of keel500 and FIG. 9 showing a second ten feet of hull 102 including 5 feet ofkeel 500. Beyond 15 feet from front end 450, hull 102 does not include akeel as depicted in the third ten feet depicted in FIG. 10 and final tenfeet of hull 102 depicted in FIG. 11. A motor well (303) may also bepresent in this final ten feet of the length for receiving a motor topropel the hull. Referring back to the drawings, embodiments of aquaticvessel 100 may be further equipped or outfitted with a roof or canopy103. Embodiments of the roof or canopy 103 may be raised above the deckof the vessel's 100 hull 102 by connecting one or more canopy supports105 to the hull 102. The number of canopy supports 105 may varydepending upon the length, width and shape of the canopy 103. In someembodiments, the canopy may be supported by a matrix of supports 105described the general formula “1×w” wherein “1” is the number of rows ofsupports 102 positioned along length of the hull from bow to stern and“w” may be the number columns of supports 105 aligned across the widthof the hull, measured from a first side of the hull 102 to an oppositeside wall of the hull. For example, in the exemplary embodiment, canopy103 may be supported by a matrix of six canopy supports 105, wherein thematrix has an 1×w of 3×2. In an alternative embodiment, canopy 103 mayhave an increased or decreased matrix of supports. In some embodimentssupport 105 matrix may have a matrices of supports connected to the hullin formations of the general formula 1×w ranging from 1 or w being equalto 2-20 or more support 105. For example, the arrangement of canopysupports may include the matrices 2×2, 3×3, 2×4, 3×2, 4×4, 4×3, 3×4,5×2, 5×3, 6×2, etc.

Embodiments of the solar powered vessel 100 may also be equipped with aphotovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500, as shown in FIGS. 4a -5. Thephotovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500 attached to the vessel 100 may beused to provide the electrical energy necessary to propel the vessel 100through the water. Embodiments of the photovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b,500 may operate to produce electricity by first collecting the energyusing one or more solar panels which may also be referred to as aphotovoltaic panel 101. Embodiments of the photovoltaic panel 101 may beplaced on a flat or open area that will receive direct sunlight. In someembodiments, the canopy 103 may be outfitted to hold at least onephotovoltaic panel 101 positioned upon the canopy of the vessel. Thenumber of photovoltaic panels may vary depending on the energy needs ofthe vessel 100, the size of the vessel, the size of canopy 103 holdingthe photovoltaic panels, the size of the panels themselves, or theweight that canopy 103 can support, which may be dependent upon thenumber of supports 105 erected to withstand the weight placed on top ofthe canopy. In an exemplary embodiment 100, a plurality of photovoltaicpanels 101 may be positioned upon the top surface of canopy 103. Whenmore than one photovoltaic panels are connected to the same photovoltaicsystem 400 a, 400 b, 500, the photovoltaic panels may be referred to asa photovoltaic array 401.

Canopy 103 supporting plurality of photovoltaic panels 101 may be formedof various sizes to accommodate a desired amount of plurality ofphotovoltaic panels 101 to accommodate an amount of electrical powerneeded and/or a desired amount of shade/protection for passengers and/orcargo. The canopy may be angled at a desired angle to improve anefficiency rate of photovoltaic panels mounted thereon. In anotherexample a mounting arrangement may allow an adjustability of an anglethat the panels are oriented relative to the sun. The Canopy may be ofmultiple levels to accommodate passengers and/or cargo. As depicted forexample in FIG. 1 a canopy may largely be located for the comfort ofpassengers (and could be angled to facilitate entry of passengers underthe canopy) while in FIG. 7 a rear portion 410 of a boat 600 may includea cargo hold having a plurality of photovoltaic panels 401 acting as acover and/or lid for the hold while a front portion 420 acts as a canopyfor passengers. The panels in rear portion 410 may be mounted such thatthey may be tilted (e.g., on a hinge), raised, or slid out of the way toallow cargo to be loaded into such a cargo hold or area.

The setup of the photovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500 may vary fromembodiment to embodiment based on the energy needs to propel the boatand whether the motor and other components installed on the vessel areDC or AC powered electrical components. In the exemplary embodiment, theamount of energy received by the sun may be calculated to match orexceed the overall electrical energy necessary to propel the vessel 100.Because the energy requirements needed to propel the vessel 100 are lessthan the amount of energy outputted to motor 107 and other electricalcomponents connected to the photovoltaic system, there is a buildup ofenergy rather than a depletion of energy stores. Accordingly, as long asthe panels 101 continue to absorb and output more electrical energy thanis consumed, or at the very least produce an output of electrical energyequal to the vessel's requirements, the vessel can continue to propelthrough the water without any additional energy supply such as a fuelsource or spare batteries.

Referring to the drawings, embodiments of the photovoltaic system 400 a,400 b, 500 may include one or more solar panels 101. The solar panelsmay be individually wired, each to a separate photovoltaic system, orthe solar panels 101 may be operating collectively as a photovoltaicarray 401. In some embodiments, the collecting capabilities of the panelmay vary between depending upon the power rating of the panels 101.Embodiments of each panel 101 may be rated for example betweenapproximately 50-600 watts. In an exemplary embodiment, each highlyefficient solar panel 101 installed on the vessel may be rated atapproximately 327 W each.

The total amount of power generated by an array 401 of solar panels 101may be calculated as the summation of power generated by each of thepanels. In one embodiment, a 25 ft vessel 100 may be equipped with asolar panel array that may be rated between approximately 1000-2500watts. In exemplary embodiment that is 25 ft long, a 1200-1300 wattarray may be installed and sufficient to propel the vessel and meet orexceed the vessel's energy requirements. In an alternative embodiment,such as a vessel that is 40 ft long, the larger vessel may haveincreased power demands. Likewise, in the 40 ft embodiment, the solararray 101 may be rated between 2500-6000 watts or more. In the exemplaryembodiment that is 40 ft long, the vessel may utilize a solar array 401rated for approximately 5200 watts.

Embodiments of the photovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500 may furtherinclude components such as a charging controller 403, and one or morebatteries 405. The connections made between the array 401 and each ofthe components may be made by wiring each of the components together. Inan exemplary embodiment, the wiring may be a large gauge copper wiring.Large gauge copper wiring may efficiently transport the collected energyto the charging controller 403, batteries 405 and ultimately the motor107 by preventing reduction in voltage drops and energy loss due todissipation that may occur between the site of collection and the siteof energy output. The wiring used may vary between 0000 gauge and 40gauge wire. In some embodiments, the wiring may be between 0000-10 gaugewire, while in other embodiments, the wire may be between 10-20 gauge.In alternative embodiments, smaller wire may be utilized, including20-40 gauge wires.

In some embodiments, the positive output 407 and negative output 409 ofthe array 401, produced as direct current (DC), may be directed to thecharging controller 403 via the wires. The charging controller 403 maybe used to limit the electric current that is added to or drawn from theone or more batteries 405. The charging controller 403 may preventovercharging the batteries or the controller 403 may protect againstoversupplying a voltage to the batteries, thus maximizing theperformance and lifespan of each battery 405. The controller 403 mayalso prevent any mechanisms drawing power from the photovoltaic system,such as motor 107, from overdrawing or completely draining the batteries405. Due to the high efficiency of some of the embodiments disclosed,some batteries may be charged faster than the rate at which the motor orother components consume the collected energy. In these embodiments, thecontroller may act as a low voltage disconnect to prevent overchargingthe batteries. Instead of charging the battery, the energy may beshunted to the motor, preventing additional energy from being stored inone or more full batteries. Instead, the energy collected may be sentdirectly to power the mechanism consuming the energy such as the motor107. In the exemplary embodiment, the charging controller 403 may be aMorning Star Corporation, Tristar MPPT controller. The Tristar MPPT mayoffer maximum powerpoint tracking (MPPT) which may allow for the maximumpossible amount of power from one or more of the photovoltaic panels 101in the array 401. A charging controller utilizing MPPT technology mayregulate the electrical loads being received from the panels 101, storedin the batteries 405 or outputted to the motor 107 by sampling theoutput of the panels 101 and automatically applying a proper resistanceto obtain the maximum power from the array 401.

In some embodiments of the photovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500, theenergy collected may be stored in a single battery 405 as shown in FIG.4a or the system may have a battery bank comprised of a plurality ofbatteries 405 a, 405 b wired together. Battery banks 405 a, 405 b may beconstructed of more or more batteries wired in series and/or in parallelto connect each battery. In some embodiments, the batteries may bebetween 2-48 volts. For example, the batteries may be 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 or48 volt batteries. In an exemplary embodiment, one or more 25.9VTORQEEDO 26-104 lithium batteries may be used for constructing thebattery bank 405. Alternative embodiments may utilize other suitabletypes of batteries including a marine deep cycle battery, a flooded typebattery, such as a lead acid battery, a sealed gel battery, an absorbedglass mat battery or a combination of batteries thereof.

The size of the battery banks 405 a, 405 b and the amount of energyneeded to be supplied may also vary. Embodiments of the solar poweredaquatic vessel may include battery banks ranging from approximately 1kWh to approximately 20 kWh or more. For instance, embodiments havingsmaller energy requirements may include battery banks that may be 2 kWh,4 kWh, 5 kWh, 7 kWh or 10 kWh. In embodiments that may have moredemanding energy requirements, larger batteries or a greater number ofbatteries may be installed, including battery banks that may supply 12kWh, 13 kWh, 14 kWh, 15 kWh, 16 kWh, 17 kWh 18 kWh, 19 kWh or 20 kWh ormore.

Embodiments of the vessel 100 having a photovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b,500 may further include one or more engines, motors or electricalcomponents for propelling the vessel 100 connected to, or drawing powerfrom, the energy collected by the photovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500.Referring to the drawings, FIG. 4b depicts a schematic view of aphotovoltaic system 400 b connected to a DC motor 107 that may be usedto power the vessel 100. Photovoltaic panels may produce DC currentwhich may be directly sent to the DC motor 107 from either thephotovoltaic panel itself, or from the stored power collected in thebattery bank 405 a, 405 b. The size, output and energy requirements ofthe motor 107 may vary from embodiment to embodiment depending on thesize of the motor, its energy requirements and the size of the vesselbeing propelled. Referring to FIG. 6, the power of the motor 107 mayrange from approximately 20 watts to 2500 watts or more in someembodiments. For example, in an embodiment of the vessel that is 25 ftin length, the motor may be approximately 2000 watts (2 kW). However, inother embodiments, the motor may be a 50 watt, 100 watt, 200 watt, 300watt, 400 watt, 500 watt, 1000 watt, 1200 watt, 1500 watt, 2000 watt,2200 watt or 2500 watt motor. In alternative embodiments, such as a 40ft vessel, the power requirements may increase significantly to between3000-10000 watts or more. For instance, in an exemplary embodiment, a 40ft vessel may have a motor 107 that is approximately 8000 watts. Inother embodiments, the motor 107 may be rated for 3000 watts, 5000watts, 6000 watts, 7000 watts, 7500 watts, 8500 watts, 9000 watts or10,000 watts.

In another example of a photovoltaic system, similar to that ofphotovoltaic system 400 a, 400 b, 500, two or more independent systemsmay be utilized to power a boat (e.g., boat 100). In particular, aphotovoltaic array may be electrically coupled to a battery or energystorage system along with a motor (e.g., motor 107) while a secondphotovoltaic system may be coupled to a second motor (e.g., motor 107) asecond battery, and a second motor. In this manner, the one or more suchsystems may be independent and redundant relative to each and may alsoprovide independent data for testing purposes.

Referring back to FIG. 6, the size of the motor and the efficiencies ofthe hull shape may impact the overall hull speed and cruising speed ofthe vessel 100. The graph of FIG. 6 demonstrates the relationship of theincreasing energy requirements of the motor and the hull speed of thevessel for the exemplary embodiment. For instance, the hull speed of a25 ft vessel having 2000 watt motor may be approximately 6 knots and acruise speed (i.e., most efficient speed), which is typically 1-2 knotsslower than hull speed, may be approximately 4-5 knots. In thealternative embodiment of the solar powered vessel that is 40 ft inlength, that may be equipped with an 8000 watt motor, may have acruising speed of approximately 7 knots and a hull speed ofapproximately 8 knots. An efficient cruising speed may one half a hullspeed, for example.

In an exemplary embodiment, a three phase motor, having a highlyefficient geometry, low speed propeller and efficient planetary gearreduction may be used such as TORQEEDO 2.0 motor or the TORQEEDO 4.0motor. The efficiency of the motor 107 and the planetary gear reductionmay be further enhanced in its efficiency in some embodiments by furtherproviding an efficient cooling mechanism. For example, in someembodiments, the vessel 100 may further include an underwater fairingacross motor well 303 of hull 102. This underwater fairing may assist incooling the motor 107 by allowing the motor and gear reduction to remainunderwater, while the motor pylon may not be submersed. The fairingextends the smooth shape of the underwater hull across the bottom of themotor well thus reducing turbulence and drag as the boat moves throughthe water. A skeg(s) may also be present in front (i.e., toward a frontend of hull 102 relative to) of the motor(s) extending into well 303such that the skegs protect a propeller(s) of the motor(s) and help theboat move in a straight track.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable for the motor and the componentmechanisms controlling the vessel 100 to be supplied AC current insteadof the DC current produced by the photovoltaic panels. Embodiments of aphotovoltaic system 500 that may be designed for powering an AC motor512 or other AC based components receiving power from the system 500,may further include an inverter 510. Inverter 510 may convert positive407 and negative 409 voltages of the generated DC current into positive507 and negative 509 voltages of AC current. Once converted, the ACcurrent may be directed via wires to an AC motor 512 or other componentsthat run on AC power.

In one example, a vessel as described above could have a 25 foot length,7 foot beam, 1.3 KW solar panel array, one 2 KW motor, a 7.5 kWhbattery, 3 ton max cargo, and a hull speed of 7 mph. In another example,a vessel as described above could have a 40 foot length, 11 foot beam,5.2 KW solar panel array, two 4 KW motors, a 30 kWh battery, 12 ton maxcargo, and a hull speed of 8 mph. For example, a vessel having thelatter characteristics could average 41 miles per day on a relativelycalm water body (e.g., NYS Erie Canal system) at 2.3 miles per KwH or 30miles per day at 2.9 kwH based on weather conditions (e.g., sunexposure), a load carried by the vessel, and operation by the user(s).

Embodiments of methods for powering the solar powered aquatic vessel maybe performed by constructing an efficient hull design and combining theefficiently constructed hull 102 with a photovoltaic system to power themotor attached to the vessel's hull. Steps for powering the solarpowered aquatic vessel may comprise the steps of providing a hull havingan overall length L that may be equal to a length of the vessel'swaterline. In some embodiments, the method steps may further compriseproviding a hull having a maximum hull draft at a station that islocated at a position that is approximately 30% of the overall length ofthe hull, such as station 3 in the exemplary embodiment. Moreover, inembodiments of the method may further include providing a hull, whereinthe bottom of the hull, at an aft position of station 5 has anapproximately linear slope to a transom forming a stern of the hull.

Embodiments of the method for powering a solar powered vessel mayfurther include providing canopy 103 and attaching the canopy to thehull. The step of attaching the canopy to the hull may be performed byconstructing a series of canopy supports and connecting the canopy roofto the supports using nails, screws, clips, staples, welds or any otherfasteners or methods known for attaching structures together.

Embodiments of the method for powering the vessel may also include thestep of providing a photovoltaic system. The photovoltaic system mayinclude at least one photovoltaic panel. Embodiments of the method mayinclude the step of attaching, fastening, binding or securing the atleast one photovoltaic panel to the top surface of the canopy andpositioning the photovoltaic panel at an angle calculated to receive themost efficient amount of solar energy.

Embodiments of the method my also include the step of wiring togetherthe components of the photovoltaic system and wiring the system to theat least one motor which may engage in propelling the vessel. The stepof wiring the components of the photovoltaic system may include wiringtogether the at least one photovoltaic panel 101 to the chargingcontroller 403 and the at least one battery 405 or battery bank 405 a,405 b. Moreover, the method for powering the solar powered aquaticvessel 100 may further comprise the steps of attaching the positive andnegative leads 407, 409 to the leads of the motor 107. Embodiments ofthe method may further include a step of engaging the photovoltaicsystem, wherein the photovoltaic system commences generating electricalpower using the sun and its solar energy to produce electrical powerthat is equal to or greater than the amount of electrical powernecessary for the motor to propel the solar powered aquatic vessel.

While this disclosure has been described in conjunction with thespecific embodiments outlined above, it is evident that manyalternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of thepresent disclosure as set forth above are intended to be illustrative,not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, as required by the following claims.The claims provide the scope of the coverage of the invention and shouldnot be limited to the specific examples provided herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A solar powered aquatic vessel comprising: adisplacement hull having a V-shaped bow for cutting through waterefficiently below a hull speed; said displacement hull having an overalllength about equal to a length of a waterline when the solar poweredaquatic vessel is afloat and on an even keel; a maximum hull draft at astation of said displacement hull that is located at about 30% of anoverall length from the V-shaped bow to a stern of said displacementhull; said hull comprising a chine having a V-shape at a bottom ofnearly vertical, slowly tapering inward side panels of said displacementhull; a keel projecting downwardly away from a remainder of said bottomfrom said V-shaped bow toward said stern only to a distance less thanhalf said overall length, said keel angled upwardly at an end thereofopposite the V-shaped bow; said displacement hull comprising a singlehull having a bottommost surface extending from a first port side of thesolar powered aquatic vessel to an opposite starboard side of the solarpowered aquatic vessel, said displacement hull having a variable draftand a variable hull shape along a length thereof; said displacement hullhaving a flattened bottom portion at about a maximum beam length; saidflattened bottom portion having a more flattened shape than a shape ofsaid displacement hull extending from the maximum beam length towardsaid V-shaped bow; said bottom having an approximately linear slope fromsaid maximum beam length to a transom forming said stern of saiddisplacement hull; said transom comprising a bottom portion positionedat or near the waterline when the displacement hull sits in the water; acanopy connected to said displacement hull of the solar powered aquaticvessel, said canopy supporting at least one photovoltaic panel connectedto a photovoltaic system positioned in said displacement hull, thephotovoltaic system generating electrical power from a sun that is equalto or greater than an electrical power necessary to propel the solarpowered aquatic vessel below the hull speed; and a motor operativelyconnected to said photovoltaic system, said motor connected to apropeller to cause movement of said displacement hull at a first speedbelow the hull speed; the at least one photovoltaic panel comprising asufficient number of photovoltaic panels such that said photovoltaicsystem provides electrical power to said motor to cause the movement ofthe displacement hull below the hull speed; a charging controllerconfigured to direct the electrical power exceeding an amount of theelectrical power needed to cause the movement of the displacement hullat the first speed to a battery to store the electrical power.
 2. Thesolar powered aquatic vessel of claim 1 wherein said solar poweredaquatic, vessel is a launch boat.
 3. The solar powered aquatic vessel ofclaim 1 wherein said solar powered aquatic vessel has a 25 foot length,a 7 foot beam, a 1.3 KW solar panel array, a 2 KW motor, a 7.5 kWhbattery, a 3 ton maximum cargo, and a hull speed of about 7 mph.
 4. Thesolar powered aquatic vessel of claim 1 wherein said solar poweredaquatic vessel has a 40 foot length, an 11 foot beam, a 5.2 KW solarpanel array, two 4 KW motors, a 30 kWh battery, a 12 ton maximum cargo,and a hull speed of about 8 mph.
 5. The solar powered aquatic vessel ofclaim 1 wherein said keel ends longitudinally prior to said linear slopeof said bottom.
 6. The solar powered aquatic vessel of claim 1 whereinthe charging controller is configured to prevent overcharging thebattery by providing a voltage disconnect to shunt the electrical powerto the motor.
 7. The solar powered aquatic vessel of claim 1 wherein thedisplacement hull is formed of wood and epoxy.
 8. The solar poweredaquatic vessel of claim 1 wherein the charging controller is configuredto direct electrical power from the battery to the motor to causemovement of the displacement hull at the first speed below the hullspeed of the displacement hull of the solar powered aquatic vessel.
 9. Amethod for powering a solar powered aquatic vessel comprising the stepsof: providing a displacement hull having a V-shaped bow for cuttingthrough water efficiently below a hull speed and an overall length aboutequal to a length of a waterline when the solar powered aquatic vesselis afloat and on an even keel, the displacement hull having a maximumhull draft at a station of the displacement hull that is located atabout 30% of an overall length from said V-shaped bow to a stern of thedisplacement hull; the hull comprising a chine having a V-shape at abottom of nearly vertical, slowly tapering inward side panels of thedisplacement hull; the displacement hull having a keel projectingdownwardly away from a remainder of said bottom on the displacement hullfrom the V-shaped bow toward the stern only to a distance less than halfthe overall length, the keel angled upwardly at an end thereof oppositethe V-shaped bow; the displacement hull comprising a single hull havinga bottommost surface of the displacement hull extending from a firstport side of the solar powered aquatic vessel to an opposite starboardside of the solar powered aquatic vessel, the displacement hull having avariable draft and a variable hull shape along a length thereof; thedisplacement hull having a flattened bottom portion at about a maximumbeam length; the flattened bottom portion having a more flattened shapethan a shape of the displacement extending from the maximum beam lengthtoward the bow; the bottom having an approximately linear slope from themaximum beam length to a transom forming a stern of the displacementhull; the transom comprising a bottom portion positioned at or near thewaterline when the displacement hull sits in the water; connecting acanopy to the displacement hull supporting at least one photovoltaicpanel connected to a photovoltaic system positioned in the displacementhull, the photovoltaic system generating electrical power from a sunthat is equal to or greater than an amount of the electrical powernecessary to propel the solar powered aquatic vessel; attaching a motoroperatively connected to the photovoltaic system to the displacementhull; generating the electrical power by the photovoltaic system fromthe sun that is equal to or greater than the electrical power necessaryfor the motor to propel the solar powered aquatic vessel; providing theelectrical power to the motor and operating the motor to cause movementof said displacement hull at a first speed below a hull speed of thedisplacement hull of the solar powered aquatic vessel to efficientlypower the solar powered aquatic vessel; and directing electrical powerfrom the photovoltaic system by a charging controller to a battery whenthe photovoltaic system generates more electrical power than required todrive the solar powered aquatic vessel at the first speed below the hullspeed.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the operating the motorcomprises operating the motor having a propeller in a motor well formedin a bottom of the displacement hull and receiving a propeller of themotor, the well being forward of the transom and behind the keel. 11.The method of claim 9 further comprising the charging controllerpreventing overcharging of the battery by providing a voltage disconnectto shunt the electrical power to the motor.
 12. The method of claim 9wherein said solar powered aquatic vessel has a 25 foot length, a 7 footbeam, a 1.3 KW solar panel array, a 2 KW motor, a 7.5 kWh battery, a 3ton maximum cargo, and a hull speed of about 7 mph.
 13. The method ofclaim 9 wherein said solar powered aquatic vessel has a 40 foot length,an 11 foot beam, a 5.2 KW solar panel array, two 4 KW motors, a 30 kWhbattery, a 12 ton maximum cargo, and a hull speed of about 8 mph. 14.The method of claim 9 wherein the solar powered aquatic vessel is alaunch boat.
 15. The method of claim 9 further comprising the chargingcontroller directing electrical power from the battery to the motor tocause movement of the displacement hull at the first speed below thehull speed of the displacement hull of the solar powered aquatic vessel.16. A solar powered aquatic vessel comprising: a displacement hullhaving a V-shaped bow; said displacement hull having an overall lengthabout equal to a length of a waterline when the solar powered aquaticvessel is afloat and on an even keel; a maximum hull draft at a stationof said displacement hull that is located at about 30% of an overalllength from the V-shaped bow to a stern of said displacement hull; saidhull comprising a chine having a V-shape at a bottom of inward sidepanels of said displacement hull; a keel projecting downwardly away froma remainder of said bottom from said V-shaped bow toward said stern onlyto a distance less than half said overall length; said displacement hullcomprising a single hull having a bottommost surface extending from afirst port side of the solar powered aquatic vessel to an oppositestarboard side of the solar powered aquatic vessel, said displacementhull having a variable draft and a variable hull shape along a lengththereof; said displacement hull having a flattened bottom portion atabout a maximum beam length; said flattened bottom portion having a moreflattened shape than a shape of said displacement hull extending fromthe maximum beam length toward said V-shaped bow; said bottom having anapproximately linear slope from said maximum beam length to a transomforming said stern of said displacement hull; said transom comprising abottom portion positioned at or near the waterline when the displacementhull sits in the water; at least one photovoltaic panel connected to aphotovoltaic system, the photovoltaic system generating electrical powerfrom a sun that is equal to or greater than an electrical powernecessary to propel the solar powered aquatic vessel below a hull speed;and a motor operatively connected to said photovoltaic system, saidmotor configured to cause movement of said displacement hull at a firstspeed below the hull speed; the at least one photovoltaic panelcomprising a sufficient number of photovoltaic panels such that saidphotovoltaic system provides electrical power to said motor to cause themovement of the displacement hull below the hull speed; a chargingcontroller configured to direct the electrical power exceeding an amountof the electrical power needed to cause the movement of the displacementhull at the first speed to a battery to store the electrical power. 17.The solar powered aquatic vessel of claim 16 wherein said keel is angledupwardly at an end thereof opposite the V-shaped bow.
 18. The solarpowered aquatic vessel of claim 16 further comprising a canopy connectedto said displacement hull of the solar powered aquatic vessel, saidcanopy supporting said at least one photovoltaic panel.